The Covenant men’s basketball program will welcome back a familiar face to the sidelines in 2017-18 as Jake DeLaney has been named the full-time assistant coach for Arte Culver.

DeLaney replaces Peter Wilkerson, who recently left the program to pursue other career opportunities.

DeLaney is a 2015 graduate of Covenant, with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, and played for the Scots for three seasons before joining the coaching staff as a student-assistant in his senior year.

At Covenant, he played in 56 career games, making 16 starts during his playing career. In his senior year, DeLaney transitioned to a coaching role with the program and assisted in running practices, in-game decisions, and in all aspects of film and scouting.

“I am extremely excited and honored about the opportunity to return to Covenant College and serve as the assistant men’s basketball coach,” DeLaney said. “My four years as a player and student-assistant were an invaluable experience and to have the chance to come back and serve in a coaching role is a true blessing.”

“I am excited about adding Coach Delaney to our staff,” Culver said. “Jake is a ‘home run hire’ for us on a lot of levels. As we went through the hiring process it became clear that he was exactly the type of coach we were looking for. Jake has a lot of pride in Covenant basketball, and I know that this will help him excel in his role as assistant coach.”

Over the last two years, DeLaney has served as a men’s basketball graduate assistant and video coordinator at NCAA Division I member Gardner-Webb, under head coach Tim Craft. While earning his master’s degree in Business Administration from the Godbold School of Business at Gardner-Webb, DeLaney oversaw all aspects of video within the men’s basketball program. He also assisted with recruiting, coordinating and running camps, and student-athlete academic success.

Added Culver, “Everyone that I spoke to about Jake had nothing but great things to say about him. Recruiting is one of the more important things that we do as coaches here, and sometimes ‘it takes one, to know one.’ Jake has the unique ability to do this with recruits and their families. As a former Covenant basketball player, he will be able to relate to our players on a level that most people can’t. I am confident that he will lean on his experiences and add great value to our program.”

“As I step into this program, my hope is to foster true relationships with the players and families,” DeLaney added. “Through my experiences at Covenant, I have developed a true passion and commitment for both the school and the men’s basketball program. My goal is to use this passion and commitment to assist in developing the players, and program as a whole, and to help continue the winning tradition that has been established over the last few years.”

http://athletics.covenant.edu/sports/mbkb/2016-17/releases/20170511nqt8og